AI in the Classroom: Friend or Foe

It started with a whisper in the back row.

"Did you use ChatGPT for the essay?"

I looked up from my desk. The guy behind me—Jake—grinned like he’d just discovered a cheat code for life. He wasn’t the type who usually handed in anything on time. But suddenly, he was getting B+’s in English. Maybe better.

At first, I brushed it off. Some AI chatbot? Cool, whatever. I figured it was like spellcheck with an attitude. But a few weeks later, I saw it everywhere—on phones, laptops, even whispered about in the hallway. Teachers were starting to panic. Students? We were… curious.

The Big Flip

One morning, our history teacher, Mr. Davis, stood at the front of the class and said, “If you submit an essay written by AI, I will find out. And you’ll fail.”

The room went dead silent.

That same night, I got stuck on an assignment. A five-paragraph analysis of the American Revolution. I opened Google, typed “ChatGPT American Revolution essay,” and boom—there it was. A perfectly written response.

I didn’t copy it. But I read it. Then I read it again. Then I rewrote the main points in my own words, added some of my own thoughts, and hit submit. I felt a little weird about it—like I’d found a shortcut on a hiking trail but didn’t know if I missed the view.

A Tool or a Trap?

Here’s the thing: I didn’t cheat. At least, I don’t think I did.

AI gave me the skeleton. I put the skin on. It was like asking a smarter friend for help and then building from their advice. But that’s where the problem started. Where’s the line between help and copy? Between support and cheating?

Not everyone was asking those questions, though.

One girl in my class used ChatGPT for her entire essay—and forgot to change the intro. It literally said, "As an AI language model, I don't have opinions, but..."

She got caught. Big time.

Teachers vs. Tech

By March, our school brought in new rules. AI use had to be disclosed. If you used it without saying so? That was plagiarism. But if you admitted it and explained how you used it, that was okay—sometimes.

Mr. Davis actually shifted his assignments. He started asking questions AI couldn’t answer easily.

Instead of “Explain the causes of the Civil War,” he’d ask, “What would you have done if you were Abraham Lincoln in 1860?”

Suddenly, AI wasn’t much help anymore.

I asked him about it one day after class.

He said, “AI is like a calculator. It’s not wrong to use one. But you have to understand the math first.”

That made sense.

The Other Side of the Story

I’m not going to lie—AI has helped me. When English isn’t your first language, writing long essays is hard. Tools like Grammarly and ChatGPT helped me learn how to phrase things better. Sometimes, I’d paste my rough draft in and say, “Can you make this sound clearer?” It felt like having a tutor, but 24/7.

My friend Lily, who has ADHD, told me it helps her get started on writing. “Blank pages freak me out,” she said. “If AI gives me a draft, I don’t freeze.”

But not everyone sees it that way. Some teachers say it’s ruining originality. Some students don’t even try anymore. Just copy, paste, submit.

And yeah—it shows. You can always tell when it’s not someone’s real voice. The sentences are too polished. Too smooth. No personality.

The Gray Area

We’re living in a weird time. Schools are trying to catch up. Some teachers ignore it. Others embrace it. A few still think banning it will work. (It won’t.)

Me? I think it’s like any new tool.

Scissors can cut paper. Or they can hurt someone. It depends on how you use them.

Same with AI.

Sometimes it helps me learn. Sometimes it tempts me to be lazy. But the best assignments—the ones that ask me what I think, what I would do—those make AI kind of useless.

And honestly? That’s a good thing.

So... Friend or Foe?

I don’t think it’s either.

AI isn’t good or bad. It’s not a hero or a villain. It’s just... there. Like Google, or YouTube, or the calculator on your phone.

The real question is: What kind of student do you want to be?

If you want to pass without learning? AI will help.

But if you want to actually grow? Then use it smartly. Like a flashlight in a dark tunnel. Not like a robot that does your thinking for you.

Final Thought

Next time someone whispers, “Did you use ChatGPT?” think about this:

Maybe it’s not about whether you used it.

Maybe it’s about how much of you is still in the final work.

Because at the end of the day, school isn't just about getting the grade.

It's about figuring out how to think for yourself—even in a world full of shortcuts.